Oct. 25, 2018 – New York Times – By Michael Kolomatsky
Over the past few decades, American homes have been getting larger. The median size of a new single-family house grew from 1,525 square feet in 1973 to a peak of 2,488 square feet in 2015, according to census data. As of the second quarter of 2018, that figure had leveled off to 2,412 square feet — hardly a tiny house.
Where are you likely to find the biggest houses? In Texas, of course.
A report ranking the 45 largest American cities by median home size, recently published by the website LendingTree, put Houston at the top of the list. (The study, which looked at new construction and existing housing stock, usedinformation from public tax records; deed, mortgage and foreclosure records; and the company’s proprietary data.)
Two other cities in Texas — Dallas and Austin — also made the top 10. Tendayi Kapfidze, the chief economist at LendingTree, suggested that the state’s recent building boom, driven by population growth, was partly responsible: More newer (and therefore larger) homes in the mix increased the median home size.
Cities with the biggest houses in America
No. 1: Houston
Median size: 1,952 square feet
Median value: $196,000
Cost per square foot: $100
No. 2: Atlanta
Median size: 1,914 square feet
Median value: $196,000
Cost per square foot: $102
No. 3: Washington
Median size: 1,908 square feet
Median value: $446,000
Cost per square foot: $228
Cities with the smallest houses in America
No. 43: Milwaukee
Median size: 1,388 square feet
Median value: $175,000
Cost per square foot: $130
No. 44: Minneapolis
Median size: 1,360 square feet
Median value: $273,000
Cost per square foot: $200
No. 45: Detroit
Median size: 1,333 square feet
Median value: $140,000
Cost per square foot: $108
